Ancient Egyptian surgical practice and the Smith Papyrus

Our understanding of ancient Egyptian medical practices comes from the handful of documents that have survived the millennia. The one of the oldest is the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, which dates to the 17th century BC. This document is not a textbook nor is it a didactic discussion of medical treatment but rather it consists of case presentations. There are 48 cases presented and over half of them deal with trauma to the head and neck.

Source: The Writer’s Forensics Blog

http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/ancient-egyptian-surgical-practice-and-the-smith-papyrus/